


Blood Magic

by primelle



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab, Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Grishaverse, Ketterdam, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:02:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29670438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/primelle/pseuds/primelle
Summary: When the Night Spire pulls into the foreign harbor of a port named Ketterdam, nobody aboard knows what to expect. But when a valuable item goes missing, they find themselves needing to team up with some suspect locals to get it back.IE Our favorite Londoners meet our beloved Dregs.Based on the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo and the Shades of Magic trilogy by VE Schwab.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 32





	1. Kell

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers:  
> \- Spoiler warning for everything below this sentence, obviously. If you haven’t read Crooked Kingdom or A Conjuring of Magic, go back and read those first, then come back. I'm jealous you get to read them for the first time, and they are so worth the read, I promise.  
> \- This takes place in a universe where Arnes and Kerch are in the same world, after the events of A Conjuring of Magic and Crooked Kingdom.  
> \- However, in this, Matthias lived, and Matthais, Nina and Inej are still in Ketterdam.  
> \- Also, although I know that in SoC, they speak Kerch, in my universe, they speak English (aka High Royal).  
> \- Everything else should be the same, with minor inconsistencies due to my own human fallacies.

Kell’s coat did not stir. As he stood on the bow of the Night Spire, the wind whipped at his copper curls, faintly stinging his face, but the grey wool of his jacket stayed stiffly in place. 

He did not notice; his attention was faced to the land mass in front of him growing steadily larger. 

“Alucard says he has no clue,” Lila said, appearing from behind him. 

He turned, sparing a glance at her before snaking his arm around her waist. He couldn’t help it. “I could write a novel on the things Emery doesn’t know.” She gave a sparse laugh, as Kell raised an eyebrow. “He really admitted that?” 

She smiled, not dropping her gaze. “Never. But I can tell.” 

Kell looked over at the dark spot, the faint lights of a port starting to appear from the mist. “It’s not good news.” 

“It’s a dry bed on land. Unless you’ve suddenly got a blood command for sea-legs?” She held a faint smile on her lips, obviously replaying the memories of Kell’s last few weeks spent with almost every one of his meals going overboard. 

But even as he smiled, his suspicion was not quelled. “A foreign port of which we have no knowledge, with the king of Arnes, two Antari, and a good-for-nothing captain? It’s not good news.” 

She sighed, leaning into him as they looked over the bow together. “Nothing fun ever is.” 

They stayed like that for a moment, watching the docks grow ever closer, until she left, silently moving to help the crew bring the ship to shore. Kell flipped the collar of his jacket up, descending to the lower decks and making his way through the ship as the crew worked above. He moved with the familiarity of more the few months he’d spent traveling in it, venturing around the world as far as Lila or himself would dare. 

They’d seen a great deal (to Kell’s pleasure) and been in their fair share of fights (to Lila’s pleasure) while they reached to see the very edges of the continent. By their first trip back to London, they’d barely grazed it, but within two weeks, they had set out again, this time with Rhy and Alucard. 

Kell reached forward, knocking lightly on the wooden door. 

“Come in,” drifted the voice from inside, and Kell obeyed, pushing it open to reveal his brother, sitting at his desk, eyes squinting at some piece of paper. 

“I thought I was leaving all this behind.” Rhy sighed, looking up at Kell, who smiled. 

“You left the crown behind. Not the role,” he said, sitting on one of the chairs across from him. “We’re pulling to port.” 

“Good. I’ll need these sent off,” Rhy said, pulling the papers together, “and I’ll need to see a real glass of liquor.” 

“You brought Arnes’ finest supplies, Rhy.” 

“It doesn’t taste as good when you’re swaying as much as the contents of the glass.” Rhy, despite having significantly more experience on ships, shared his brother’s sea temperament and therefore much preferred their short dockings to the voyage. 

“I think it’s best you stay on the ship,” Kell said, slowly, waiting for Rhy’s reaction. 

“No,” was all he said, folding his hands on the desk. 

“No?” 

The young king shook his head, shrugging slightly. 

Kell sat forward. “At least for the first night. We don’t know where we are, or whether we’ve landed on allied or enemy lands — ” 

“Then they won’t know who I am. I blend in easier than you do, brother,” Rhy said, tapping one finger under his right eye, the color of the desk’s wood and perfectly normal. “I would have suggested you left your worries behind in London, but I knew us too well to try,” Rhy offered as Kell smiled begrudgingly. The way everyone walked around this ship, he knew he would have been outnumbered anyways. 

“You have the _keinjal?_ ” he asked, shifting back in the chair. Rhy opened one of the drawers, removing a black silk bag and carefully placing it on the desk. 

“We can’t leave it on the ship,” Rhy argued. 

“Not if none of us are here, no,” Kell agreed. 

“A pocket in your coat?” 

“I might never find it again.” 

“In our bags?” 

“The fate of the continent in your trunks? I don’t think so.” 

Reaching forward, Rhy tenderly reached into the bag, removing a dazzling tiara, crafted with shining silver and more precious jewels than Kell could count. Lila had tried, but eventually gave up, too distracted by its pristine gleam. They continued to stare at it while they pondered how to store such a priceless artifact. Because it was more than just a crown. 

The _keinjal_ was crafted centuries ago, belonging to a very famous and beloved Veskan princess, but it was eventually brought to London, where it was preserved in their archives for many centuries. Now, Rhy had brought it with him, looking to offer it as a symbol to bridge the weakening bond between Veska and Arnes and, hopefully, to stave stave off war. It was an expensive bit of silver, as Lila had put it. 

“Alucard’s pocket will have to do,” Rhy decided, finally, slipping it back into its bag and into the drawer. Kell automatically opened his mouth, but found no words in opposition. While Kell would never admit it aloud, Alucard had traveled longer and farther than he, and would be the most equipped to thwart any potential Lila’s in his midst. 

There was yelling above, and both boys shot to their feet, ears bent to the sound. Together, they rushed up to the deck, relieved to only find familiar and unconcerned shouts of docking. Lila was standing at the railing again, and Kell and Rhy joined her, all peering over the other boats to see the outline of the port city beyond. While this city looked like Grey London, Kell noticed the feeling was completely different. There, magic had died completely, leaving a dry well in its place, but this...this had a faint _pulse_ , almost as alive as the river of his home in Red London. 

“Welcome to Ketterdam, my friends,” echoed Alucard’s voice behind them, and they turned to see him, arms raised as if indeed welcoming them to the city. 

“How do you know?” Kell asked. 

Alucard just gestured away. “ _Ise av eran.”_

“It says on that sign,” Lila said, pointing over the railing, where there was indeed a sign offering faded paint reading the name of the city _._

Kell shot a glance at Alucard, who just shrugged. “A pirate's skill.” 

At that moment, the gangplank fell to the dock, opening their pathway into the unknown. 

“It smells,” said Rhy, casting a glance back at the city. 

“It’s _glorious_ ,” said Lila, and with three quick steps, she was off the boat and on the dock. 


	2. Inej

It was a warm evening in Ketterdam, but Inej had yet to break a sweat. 

From her perch, she could see directly over fifth harbor, watching as the tourists unloaded, their trunks and cases following behind them dutifully. In the crowd, she could see the pickpockets, her eyes following their capped heads, checking that they were Dregs before moving on to other parts of the scene. The cargo moving around, the ships bobbing in the water, the occasional bird or two flying over her head. 

It was easy like this, simple, with the breeze on her back and the sun beginning to set. Little to be afraid of, when you were Inej Ghafa in East Stave. She began to feel that became truer by the day. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of motion that caught her eye, drawing her attention. There, near the edge of the docks, was Jesper, waving at her with both arms from down below. She smiled, and within a quick couple movements, she landed next to him with a satisfying thud. 

“It took me three minutes to spot you, Wraith,” he said, laughing good-naturedly. “You blend into the architecture. Like a gargoyle.” 

“That’s sort of the point, Jesper,” she said, returning his smile. “What business?” 

“I thought I’d check in on you,” he said, hand flying to the back of his neck as he overlooked the crowds. “Busy night,” he added, changing the subject abruptly. She smiled a private smile. No matter how many times she’d told him she had forgiven him, and insisted he did not need to be worried about her, she could tell he didn’t quite believe her. 

“Getting busier by the hour,” she said, accepting the topic change and stepping aside as a small family skittered past, speaking rapidly in a foreign tongue. “Is that your ship over there?” she asked, pointing to the new one she’d seen dock just farther down the pier. 

He shot her a glance. “None of them are mine, Inej.” 

“Okay, well, does that one belong to the Van Eck estate, then?” she asked, lowering her hand as he eyed the foreign schooner carefully. 

“Let’s get closer,” he said. As they neared the far edge of the docks, she could make out the dark letting on its side, reading  _ Saren Noche _ . 

“What language is that? Is it Ravkan?” she asked. 

Jesper frowned and shook his head. “I don’t recognize it.” 

Ducking behind some cargo, they watched as the gangplank fell. A slight woman with dark choppy hair and a foreign coat bounded down, sure-footed and quick. Behind her came another couple men, one red-headed and fair, the other dark-skinned with dark curls. They laughed between them, but about what, Inej couldn’t hear. She itched to sneak forward, to inspect their bizarre ship and clothes a little closer, but wariness held her back. They truly must have been from across the world. As the strangers’ cargo unloaded, and as a third man, tall and sure of himself with long hair, joined them, the group headed towards the city. 

“It wasn’t a large wound,” Inej could hear the girl argue as they neared, but her red-headed companion shook his head. 

“It was large enough to kill him!” 

The girl laughed. “Semantics.” They passed by the crates, and Jesper suddenly clutched her arm as the girl and her companion turned, revealing their faces. 

Each face had two eyes, one of which was normal, brown and blue respectively, and the other which was, from side to side, top to bottom, completely and utterly  _ black _ . 

Inej bit her tongue. Hard. But then they turned again, and all four disappeared into the crowd. She shot to her feet, as Jesper turned to her, but already, she was at the nearest wall, pulling herself up and onto the roof. 

* * *

At first, it was easy to follow them, what with their alien clothes, so at odds with the rest of the crowd. Easily, she vaulted over the garbled roofs and jutting terraces, not daring to take her eyes from them. But as Inej watched, she noticed that they did not move with a prowling surveyance or like an incoming threat. They moved like...tourists. Friends. Kids, seemingly only slightly older than Inej, just come to enjoy the city. But every time she thought to give up the pursuit, the image of those inky black eyes appeared in her mind, like one of her Suli myths come to life, and she continued, following them deep into the Barrel. 

She watched, perched just beyond the Crow Club, as they entered one of the inns, not bothering to wait for their trunks. Wealthy, then. But not familiar enough to know to stay away from the Barrel, she thought, her curiosity growing further. These were bizarre people indeed. 

And so, as they entered the inn, Inej leapt over the railing of the balcony and towards the Slat. 

Within minutes, she had slipped into the window of the third floor, where Kaz sat, surrounded by papers at his makeshift desk. He didn’t turn to her, but she knew he could hear her slip in. 

“There were people at the harbor,” she started, slipping off her hood as she landed on the floor. 

“I would hope so,” he said, gruffly, not looking up from his work. 

“No. Something different, something — ” 

She was interrupted by a crash as Jesper flung open the door, breathing heavily. At the sight of Inej, he threw up his hands. “I got here as fast as I could.” Kaz merely looked between them. 

Inej looked to Kaz. “We were at the harbor when this new ship docked. And when the passengers walked off…” she paused, trying to figure how to explain what they had seen. “There were four of them, and two of them, they had black eyes. Completely black. Irises, whites, everything.” 

Jesper shivered. “It wasn’t natural.” 

“Nothing is in Ketterdam,” Kaz muttered, but already he was far away, obviously thinking of the foreign visitors that had so shaken his second-in-command and his Wraith.  _ Scheming face, _ she thought, meeting Jesper’s eyes, who seemed to respond:  _ Definitely _ . 

“I followed them into the Barrel. They’re staying near the Crow Club,” she told him. 

He thought for a moment longer, then turned to Jesper. “Go see if you can find out their rooms.” He didn’t need to say it for all to understand he meant covertly. There would be no attack, not yet, not until long after Kaz had the upper hand. For now, just information. Jesper nodded once, giving a little salute before exiting and closing the door behind him. 

If Inej was tired from her tailing the strangers, she would have caught her breath, but as it was, she just leaned against the window sill, quiet. A question played on her tongue, but she didn’t ask it. Kaz always had his reasons, she knew that to be true. So, she asked a different question instead. 

“Who do you think they are?” 

He did not look up. 

“They can’t be just another mark.” 

“Everyone in this city is my mark, Inej.” She crossed her arms, leaning her head back to look at him. The light was ruddy in the office, and the dim candle flame did little to help the shadows that played on the sharp bones of his face. 

“You don’t believe in magic. That these outsiders could mean something bigger.” It wasn’t a question. 

“I believe in reputation, and the lengths people would go to create it.” Her hand absentmindedly reached for the swirling scar at her wrist. Inej couldn’t imagine branding yourself so distinctly, so permanently, on purpose. 

“What am I looking for?” she asked, not bothering to wait for his official assignment. Inej was too sensible to ever think she could read more than half of what was going through the head of Kaz Brekker, but she assumed she would be sorting through their rooms. 

“Anything dangerous. Suspicious. A clue that they aren’t just here for a pleasurable time in our fair city.” 

She laughed faintly at that, pushing herself off of the sill and towards the door. “Who knew you had such a fond opinion of this city,” she asked, turning to him, “protecting it from otherworldly dangers?” He looked up, his expression unchanged. 

“The only danger that deserves to be in the city is me,” he said. 

And with that, she was out the door and down the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added this second chapter as a first release treat, so hopefully you're interested in coming back for more! next chapter coming soon, I promise. love y'all. 
> 
> \- primelle


	3. Lila

Lila was the farthest she had ever been from either London, and she was loving every minute of it. 

Ketterdam was similar to Gray London, but not the parts of London she lived in, where workers came and went, trekking across the city to their penny-an-hour jobs. No, this was the type of city people flocked to, eager to spend their last cent on the finest things they could enjoy.

And there were plenty of fine things to enjoy. 

Sipping on something dark, rich, and dry, she watched as Alucard and Kell played their hands at one of the tables, the game some type of gambling she knew nothing of but was determined to learn. Despite Rhy’s endless chattering in her ear, she watched attentively, as Kell’s eyes scanned over the table, his black eye concealed under his hair. From what Lila could glean, this place was so far off the map, they knew nothing of Antari, and each of them had garnered so much attention because of it, it nearly made her uncomfortable. Nearly. 

“Do they have gambling in Grey London?” Rhy asked, and Lila turned in her stool, leaning on the bar. 

“They do. I prefer the luck I can make. Or steal.” 

Rhy raised his glass, his smile sparkling as much as its contents. “Spoken like a true thief.” 

She smiled. She couldn’t help it. She should have despised the king of Arnes, as she had despised Kell when she first realized he was royal, but Rhy had proven himself undoubtedly more fair or just than any old George ever was in her London. So he could stay, she decided. 

“Speaking of thieves, where is the cargo?” she asked, not bothering to lower her voice. It was loud enough in the place, and Lila knew a change in volume was a mark’s mistake. Nothing to steal if you have nothing to hide. 

“Alucard has it.” Her eyes drifted to the captain’s form, searching for the bulge of his pockets that might tip her off to an easy pinch, but just then he shifted, dropping his cards as the table exploded around him in a cacophony of noise. She couldn’t see his grin as he scooped the bounty towards him, even Kell faintly smiling at the sight. 

But then, a woman drifted by. 

Letting her brown curls fall over her face, she leaned her generous frame over the dealer, presumably to whisper something to him. As Alucard stood, pocketing his winnings, the dealer did as well, laying something down in front of him, then pointing to the back. Lila followed his glance to see the woman again, holding open a curtain to reveal one of the more private gambling rooms, mostly obviously offering it to Alucard. She could feel Kell’s glance on her neck as she grabbed Rhy’s hand, hauling him off the chair. 

“Let’s go,” she said, quickly. Passing through the hall, the woman’s eyes remained steadily on Lila’s face, and walking past her, Lila felt the undeniable presence of magic, ripe and steady. Sparing a glance at Alucard, she could see his eyes linger on the woman as well. She kept her eyes trained on the table as Rhy sat next to her, leaving Kell and Alucard to sit off to the side. She was instantly sure she had never played nor seen this game, as it was not Sanct nor from Grey London. 

But, it was a challenge, and Lila Bard never strayed from a challenge. 

* * *

When they stumbled out of the Crow Club two hours later, Lila had spent and lost a considerable amount of _kruge_ , as they called it here, and she was in no hurry to find out how much it was worth in Arnes. 

However, even Kell was in high spirits, laughing and joking with Rhy as they crossed the canal to their inn. Alucard pulled up beside her, offering her the knife she had lost and he had won respectively, in rounds they played back to back. 

“You realize that places like that don’t lose, right? In a city like this?” 

She shrugged, looking around at the cobblestone streets, still full for this late at night. “What are you doing criticizing a respectable establishment with your pockets so full?” she said, sarcasm dripping from her every word. “Besides. Everybody loses once. Just ask Kamerov,” she said, sure to make sure the Antari heard it as she flashed him a grin. He scowled, but the laughter on his face was unmistakable before Alucard started again. 

“Not this place. I heard some fascinating rumors about some bastard named _Kaz.”_

“You are a worse gossip than Rhy, you know that?” 

“I’m always interested in local economics. I heard he’s a right nasty local who runs most of this around here,” he said, gesturing to this grimy corner of the city. Lila knew people like that, back in her London, crooks who seemed to want to steal from the whole world in plain sight, as if just to prove they could. While Lila took thrill from worldly adventures, she took sustenance from the simple thievings, her bread and butter. She didn’t need to show the world anything. 

“Good for him,” she said as they reached the stairs. “I am intrigued though - where did you keep the _keinjal_?” she asked, as she moved the lock to their room, and Alucard to theirs. 

“In the room. Rhy and I thought it would be safer there.” 

“ _What?_ ” Kell asked, causing Rhy to cringe. 

“It was better than out in this pfilering city,” Alucard defended to a quietly fuming Kell, as he pushed the door open. All four of them filed in, as Alucard went to the bedside...and froze. 

“Someone was in here,” he said, wheeling immediately to the window. 

“Nobody move,” Kell said, dropping low to search for something on the ground. 

“There won’t be any trace,” Lila said, taking a step forward. 

“The girl,” Kell realized, as Lila nodded her head. 

“What girl?” Rhy demanded, gesturing. 

“There was a girl following us from the harbor, over the rooftops,” Kell explained. “Quick. Agile. Probably a good thief.” 

“She’s a little showy,” Lila muttered. 

“And I think I could take a guess at who she works for,” Alucard said, pointing out the window, and down the stretch of canal. She could see a dilapidated building, three stories tall, leaning to its side against another building. And there, climbing into its tallest lit window like a spider on the window pane, was a dark hooded figure. If there was anywhere in this city where the legendary Kaz lived, Lila was somehow sure this was it. 

* * *

“I’m sure this Kaz won’t be glad to give up anything to us if we randomly appear in his home,” Alucard argued as they sat for breakfast the next morning, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard taking shifts to take stock of the comings and goings of the ramshackle building, as Kell sorted out the easiest way to get inside. 

“It won’t matter what he _wants_ to give up,” Kell replied, making Lila smile slightly. Maybe she was rubbing off on him. 

“I’m sure if we arranged a meeting with the king of Arnes, he’ll be eager to please,” she said, looking back down at shining one of her knives, but Kell shook his head. 

“Nobody can know who we are. Or what the _keinjal_ is for. Certainly not some back alley criminal,” he explained. 

Rhy sighed. “Everybody knows who he is. And we saw the people coming and going from the building. Odds are, somebody can get us a meeting with him.” 

Alucard snapped his fingers, sitting upright. “I know exactly the woman we’re looking for.” 

* * *

Lila leaned against the red and black facade of the Crow Club, now empty due to the late morning. Inside, Rhy and Alucard chatted with the bartender as Kell paced nervously. 

“I told him we shouldn’t have taken it off the ship.” 

“I thought you told him to keep it in Alucard’s pocket?” she asked, picking at her nails. 

“I said both,” he argued, as the others exited the building, pointing down the road. 

“He told us she works at a shop down there,” Rhy said, as they started towards it. 

“Whatever gang they’re in, they’re loyal. It took nearly seventy five _kruge_ and a lie that we were looking to buy her wares to find out,” Alucard explained. He had told them this morning about the woman's threads of magic, different than anything else he’d seen, and seemingly rare in this city. Men like Kaz probably coveted any power they could get, and she certainly had it. 

Or at least, that was the hope, as they entered the shop, decorated with kitschy swaths of red and gold decor, seemingly of what Lila sensed to be Grey Russian inspiration. 

As they entered, a man approached from the back of the shop, coming to stand behind the counter. He seemed to be Veskan in origin, with the same light hair and coloring, and the same tree trunks for legs. He stood like one too, all rigid and solitary. Lila had the sense she wanted to poke him in the stomach, just to see what would happen. 

But he did not speak, just stood there, his arms folded before him, and Rhy stepped forward, rapidly speaking in Veskan. And when the man did not respond, he switched to English. 

“We’re looking for a...magician. Is she here?” 

The man eyed the four of them carefully, before replying in clipped, accented English. “What business?” 

“We’d like to speak with her,” Kell said, but Alucard stepped forward. 

“We’d like to speak with Kaz.” 

Just then, from the same back hallway, the woman appeared, coming to stand next to the man. She was dressed differently now, draped in a robe of some kind, a similar red to the decorations of the shop. As she looked at them, her eyes seemed to take them in, and Lila recognized the look that passed over her face. Curiosity. 

“You’re Grisha, aren’t you? I’ve never seen marks like that,” she said. The man seemed to tense behind her, but if she noticed, she did not show, stepping forward to look closer. _Grisha?_ Lila thought, sparing a glance at Rhy, but even the famed polyglot seemed to be trying the word in his mouth. “Corporalki perhaps? Fabrikators?” 

Again, these words seemed to mean something, but they seemed as foreign to Lila as the first Arnesian she’d ever heard. 

“We’d like to meet Kaz,” Rhy insisted, again, and the girl tilted her head, analyzing them again. 

“Alright. I’ll take you.” The man hissed something rapidly in another language, but the girl just waved her hand, replying smoothly and softly in the same tongue. 

“My name is Nina. This is Matthais. Let me change my clothes, and we’ll go.” 


	4. Kaz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is dedicated to a kaz stan and my wonderful mutual, somanywords, who has been there since this story was a badly written first draft of three chapters and a tumblr post, and who has faithfully written detailed comments for every chapter thus far. thank you! (*´∀`*)

The Van Eyck dining room was much too bright. 

Kaz never did business in sunlight like this, but none of his normal meeting places would be big enough, and something told him these travelers knew high taste. Not to mention he loved the idea of Van Eyck knowing Kaz now conducted some of his dirtiest business where the old Council member used to hold his wealthiest dinners. He knew Wylan did too. 

Which was why he was now in the Van Eyck dining room, ready to meet some potential enemies, thinking that it was too bright. 

Inej slipped in, taking a seat to his right. “They’re on their way now.” 

He nodded, spinning his crow’s head cane in his hand once. It would have been a nervous gesture, if Kaz got nervous.  He did not.  “And the jacket?” 

“With Yitz,” she told him, laying her hands flat on the table to look down at them. She had nice hands, rough from climbing, but with slim, nimble fingers. His thoughts slipped to that moment on the pier, the way that hand felt in his, before yanking his attention back. He would need his focus. 

In the front, there was a knock at the door, and within moments, Wylan led Nina and Matthais into the dining room, their visitors in tow. He understood, for a moment, what had so unsettled Jesper and Inej, fascinated Nina. 

Besides the singular midnight eye of two of them, you could see their power in the way they walked, hands settled and still instead of subconsciously reaching for a weapon. Why reach for one when you have it at your fingertips? They smelled different too, not of the smoke or canal water of Ketterdam but of the sickly sweet scent of flowers, like the disgusting perfumes of the White Rose. 

When he felt the silence had reached an acceptably uncomfortable amount, he gestured forward, offering them seats at the far end of the table, as Nina and Matthais joined Inej to his right. The strangers took them in apprehensively. He glanced at Nina, who met his eye and shook her head. Not Grisha, then. 

“You have a beautiful home,” the one in the middle with the dark hair said, looking to Wylan, who blushed, before scurrying out the door. How he knew that the home was Wylan’s, Kaz couldn’t figure. 

He just raised one hand. “Introductions, shall we?” Kaz said, as all eight members of the table eyed each other. “You know me, obviously. Nina, Matthais,” he gestured to them respectively, then to the others. “Wylan, and Inej.” Inej looked at him, suspicious for a fleeting moment of offering such information so willingly, but he kept his eyes trained across the table. 

“I’m Lila, and this is Kell,” the woman said, raising a defiant eyebrow, as the man next to her blanched. 

“Rhy,” introduced the next, then the scarred one at the end, offering a lazy smile. 

“Alucard.” 

“Now that we know each other, we can get to why exactly your spy ransacked through our rooms,” the girl, Lila, said, sitting forward. It was a clever trick, turning the conversation so quickly, but Kaz just leaned back in his chair. 

“When something as strange as you four wash up on my shores, you don’t think I have a right to investigate?” 

She looked as if she might retort, but Kell placed a warning hand on Lila’s elbow, joining the conversation. “And what has your investigation turned up?” 

Kaz sighed. “Well, you’re not Grisha, but you know magic. He,” he said, pointing to Rhy, “is high-born. She,” he said, pointing to Lila, “is most likely a former street-rat.” He pointed to Alucard. “A pirate, or at least a sailor,” and then to Kell, “and you, seem to be a wicked know-it-all. Anything else I’m missing?” 

Lila laughed. “No, that seems to be it.” 

“Now then, if we’re done with flexing our muscles, perhaps we could get to why you’re here,” Nina insisted, exasperatedly shooting a glance at Kaz. “Starting with your magic.” 

Kell looked between his friends - and Kaz knew they were friends - before shifting in his seat. “Where we’re from, we’re called Antari. More powerful than your Grisha, it seems.” Kaz nearly smiled as Matthais tensed. 

Alucard raised his hand slightly. “I’m regular Grisha, I think. Though, few would call me regular in other regards.” 

Kell started again. “We need you to return the coat you took.” 

Kaz raised an eyebrow. “And if we don’t?” 

“Then we’ll Grisha you into oblivion,” Lila said. This time, she did reach for a knife. 

“Oh, I like her,” Nina said, smiling. Kaz couldn’t quite disagree. Lila had a familiar gleam in her eye, one you only saw growing up on the streets like Kaz did. Hunger. And not just for food or water or even money. For life. 

Rhy sat forward, drawing Kaz’s attention. “We’re prepared to pay handsomely for it.” Kaz narrowed his eyes. Money was his language, but still, suspicion bloomed at such an easy offer for such a small item. 

“For one coat?” 

“It has sentimental value,” said Rhy. 

“No, I don’t think it does. Far too new. Right Inej?” Inej’s eyes flicked to him, before she nodded silently. “We’ll find whatever it is your hiding, so you might as well just tell us now.” It was a gamble, throwing that out when the _Antari_ already seemed so jumpy, but Kaz didn’t go for small gambles. 

Before they could reply, Wylan returned to the room, a note in hand, and offered it to Inej, who drew her knife and swiftly sliced it open. 

“Neat trick,” Lila muttered, as Kaz sat forward. 

“How handsomely would you pay for it?” 

But then, Inej slipped the note across the table, coming to rest just before him. 

_Yitz’s shop broken into by Per Haskell. Shop destroyed, jacket gone._

His eyes scanned the writing, not picking the paper from the table. “Actually,” he said, looking up. “We’ll help you for free.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one feels like a tease, since it's from the POV of everyone's favorite Dirtyhands and its on the shorter side, but the next chapter is too long to drop at the same time. so, I promise the next chapter is fun, at least 500+ words longer, and coming soon. 
> 
> also - you guys are the nicest! getting the constant emails that you are all leaving comments and kudos is just the best feeling, so thank you for all of the love.
> 
> follow me on tumblr for updates! @primelle

**Author's Note:**

> thanks y'all for reading. drop some comments or kudos? I have a few chapters planned out so far but my plan is to continue much farther on so let me know what you love. it's crazy that somebody might actually read this note and everything. and after reading my little fanfic too? wow. holy crap. okay. thanks again. signing off now. 
> 
> \- primelle


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